


The Pines Manor Enigma

by morgan_stranger



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls, Gen, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 10:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12724638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgan_stranger/pseuds/morgan_stranger
Summary: It was just another normal day for Pacifica until her help was required by the Pines twins. This wasn't normal at all! The arrogant, stubborn, selfish twins asking for HER help? The world must have gone mad! But perhaps it was her chance to get to know who they really were - a chance to see that they were just like other children. She was dreadfully wrong. Reverse Falls One-Shot





	The Pines Manor Enigma

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I have taken the story from Gravity Falls Season 2 Episode 10. Of course, there will be some sort of similarity to the show, but this is not a rip-off. Don't worry. I have added my element to the story to make it original and unique.
> 
> The inspiration came from RiaFire's Reverse Falls artwork on Diviantart, so kudos, RiaFire! You have an awesome art! Thanks for the inspiration.

Mabel stood in front of the mirror fixing her head bow to an angle before straightening her dress making it neat and perfect. This was an important day and important days require her finest looks. "What do you think, Dipper?" She chirped, her auburn hair in a smooth curl rolling down her back like chocolate fountain. But there was no answer from her twin. "Dipper, I asked you a question."

"Huh?" Dipper's head rose from behind the book he was reading, but his eyes never left the pages. "Wha?"

"What do you think?" She swings around to face her brother presenting her dress. "I was thinking of lake foam green, but it doesn't really go well with my eyes, so I decided to go with sea foam green!"

"Alright," he answered lazily, not really interested and not really listening. "Sure."

Mabel's eye twitched, and the sapphire on her ring began to glow. With a jerk of her head, the book snapped close, catching the bookworm's nose.

"Ouch!" He screamed. "What the heck, Mabel! I was reading!" He tried spread its pages, but it stayed shut.

"You weren't listening, Dipper. You should always listen to your older sister."

"We're twins. Doofus! You're only older by five minutes."

A smirked pulled on her lips. "Get out of my room!" She ordered, pointing at the door which swung open on its own.

"This is my room!" He protested.

Mabel casually walked up to the side of his bed. She loomed over him ominously. "Are you challenging me,  _bro-bro_?" Her chocolate eyes were burning with a faint blue glow.

The boy gulped and reluctantly jumped off his precious mattress, grabbing the book before leaving his room to his sister, defeated. He never stood a chance.

Mabel went back in front of the mirror, humming, trying to inspect every minute detail of her looks. "Go check on the dining room." She barked, glancing at her brother's remaining reflection before the door slammed to hide him.

"Stupid Mabel." Dipper muttered to himself when he was sure she's no longer going to hear him, feeling his ring glow the same shade as his sister's a while back. "Stupid, bossy, witch!"

He clenched his hands into a fist and pressed it hard until blood ceased to flow to his fingers, feeling the itchy pain grow. He was standing beside a solid wooden beam and he was tempted to smash his fist against it. It would show him and his twin that he wasn't weak; that he was just as strong and powerful as his sister.

But he didn't.

He breathed in before letting it out slowly. He released his fist, feeling his blood cry in relief. He fixed his bangs to the side to cover the odd birthmark on his forehead before casually walking down the stairs. It was their birthday. It's only once a year that he has a chance to not always be around his sister. Guests will be coming and they will want to flock around her. They will be his cover; his camouflage. They will be his refuge.

He came into the dining room and saw that the round tables, plates, and chairs had already been set. He caught eye of the young servant setting the silverwares. He was almost finished arranging all 150 of them. In fact, he had five more to go. These were the tables that would be used for the actual party. The mayor of Gravity Falls, their noble friends and acquaintances, and a few celebrities will be sharing these tables for dinner. Dipper assessed each of them making sure that each element was perfect - the linen table cloth, the porcelain dishes, the silverware, the vase of tulips and juliet roses. But something specific caught the young boy's eyes and there was a deadly smirk on Dipper's face. He was just waiting for the man to finish as he kept his glare on him. He watched as the young servant placed the final spoon on the table.

Noticing that his master was looking, the servant stood by the side in perfect posture and waited and watched as Dipper marched towards him.

"Good day, Master Pines." The man bowed gracefully.

"Are you a leftie or a rightie?" He asked, ignoring the man's greeting.

The servant was confused, but he thought he understood. "Uh, rightie, sir?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" Dipper was filled with authority and it rang in his voice.

"A statement, sir. I'm a rightie." He gulped.

"Good, show it to me, Kevin."

The servant chuckled, thinking that the young master must have mistaken him for someone else. "M-my name isn't Kevin, sir."

"I don't care what your name is."

The servant cautiously stretched out his right gloved hand. Something inside him distrusted his master, though he wasn't sure why. In a flash, his hand glowed a faint blue light before acting on its own accord, flying to his face, slapping and throwing him off his feet. He looked up to his master, eyes welling with wetness, ears ringing in pain, stricken by fear.

Dipper's almond eyes were now shaded with blue. If he didn't stand a chance against his sister, he will settle for lesser people.

"The salad fork goes outside, not inside, man! We're not savages!"

"Y-yes. I'm sorry, sir." He mumbled as he quickly got to his feet to fix his mistakes. Now he knows why there was a quick hiring for this job.

"Everything alright here, Dipper?" Mabel's voice echoed through the room, but not as loud as the clack of her heels against the floor.

"Almost," Dipper said, his hands on his back, watching the man run through the tables.

"Good. We need everything to be perf-" She was cut short as the room started shaking like there was an earthquake, pushing vases, plates, and silverware off the table. Her eyes shot to her brother. "What are you doing?" Her voice was grave.

"It's not me!" He held out his hands as proof.

A haunting shriek suddenly pierced through the entire house; a scream that sounded like someone was being skinned alive - it was filled with agony, pain, and dread. The servant tried to run away in horror, but Mabel caught and pinned him on the floor without touching or even looking. She tried to assess what was going on, reading everything like an open book. When she was sure, she held out her hands, palms, and eyes glowing radiantly with blue flame as she muttered a spell and gesturing runes with her fingers. The shaking slowly died down as if it were just passing through and the horrible shriek vanished.

"What was that?" Dipper asked his sister, looking on, as if trying to see where it all came from.

"I have no idea." She answered. She was just as confused as her brother.

But whatever it was, it wasn't finished, and it will not be contained. The plates, the chairs, the glassware and the silverware came flying off from where they sat, smashing and shattering and stabbing and swirling with furious speeds as if caught in a tornado. The disembodied screams came louder than before, a cacophony of voices that rang against each other, enough to send a cold spike up Mabel's spine. The swirling mass shot forks, knives and broken plates at the twins, but Mabel and Dipper were able to deflect the projectiles with a spell and made them bounce off and stab somewhere else.

This was only making Mabel livid. "Enough!" She bellowed, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. She raised her hands once more, catching everything that was flying around the room, even the smallest speck of dust, and smashing them on the floor, ending the chaos and silencing the scream, but nothing in the room remained in good condition for use.

Dipper just stared with jaws hanging, and his sister could smell his fear. He didn't know what was going on. In all his life living in the mansion, he had never seen or experienced such an event. He could feel it in the air, making his hair stand like static. There was something evil about it. Something  _familiar_.

Mabel turned to her brother, panting. She looked horrible - her hair was tousled, her makeup caked from the sweat, her dress mucked with blood dripping from her nose. "Dipper," She called his attention. "We need help. At least temporarily."

The boy recoiled. He had never heard his sister ask for help from anyone before. Whatever was going on, it must be big, and she must be desperate. He looked around the dining room and saw the mess. If this happened during the party, it would do more than damage their properties. It would rip their reputation to shreds. "Whom do you need?" He asked sternly. He was determined to not let such a thing happen to them.

Mabel opened her mouth to speak her name and she almost gagged. No. She will not stoop so low as to utter that girl's name. Instead, she walked up to the fear-stricken servant and pulled a newspaper he used to cover his head. She had read it that morning and she knows every story, every word, every punctuation and grammar mistakes that were on it. She shoved the paper to her brother allowing him to read the front page. It was a picture of a girl with hair that reached her waist. She was standing fearlessly in front of some kids cowering in fear while holding a weird device in one hand like a weapon. Ahead of her was a large bull with blazing eyes and four horns. The headline reads:  _Local Girl Saves Children From Horned Menace_. "Her?" He blinked dumbly at his sister. She  _was_  desperate.

"Her." Mabel confirmed in a gruff voice. She walked away with hate filling up inside her. But she thought about something that would mellow out her emotions. As dreadful as it may sound having that girl in their home, perhaps she can find some consolation from it. She quickly spun on her heel and said, "Dipper. Bring Gideon."

* * *

Pacifica was sitting on the couch, legs outstretched and her bowl of chips was placed comfortably on her belly. She was busy jabbing her thumbs on the controller as she tried to defeat that first boss she's been stuck in since the day she bought that game. She was almost there. It would only take a few more hits and the boss would be done for. She just needed to take advantage of the right opportunity.

Harnessing all her experiences these past four days, she read the boss' movements, predicting what it will do next before acting on the right reaction on the very precise moment. Gideon watched in suspense as his friend tried to dominate her first of many adversaries in that world. But she had no more healing juices left, so, will she be able to do it? Will she win? He quietly bit on his nails.

Seeing a short favorable circumstance arise, Pacifica charged in, attacking the armored knight with a flurry of light and heavy strikes, her fingers moving extra fast trying to end it before the enemy's second wave of barrage comes and kills her first. But just as she was about to slay it, the enemy leaped into the air and aimed its poleaxe at her head. Knowing that this will instantly kill her and that she will have to start all over again, she felt the tinge of disparity as hope slowly left her.

All her hard work for nothing.

But her friend was not willing to give up now. They were so close. "Don't stop! Roll away!" Gideon cheered on, his hope was undying.

Sparks flew from Pacifica's eyes as it began to burn with determination. If her friend would not give up, neither would she. She jumped out of the way of the enemy just in time to save her neck. Gideon pulled the bowl away from her and she folded her legs underneath her, leaning in closer. The boss has a short delay after such a dramatic move, and once again, Pacifica charged in, roaring a battle cry. She raises her sword and plummets it on the enemy's back.

But something started happening. She had not reached this far before and it was now evident that only the strong plays through the game. Large black goop spurts out from the knight's back and consumes half of its torso, forming a snake-like head that it tried to use to smash Pacifica to a pulp, while a long bony arm extended from its left arm, raking and slicing like a beast.

"Nonononono…" Pacifica rolled away, but the enemy quickly followed with another deadly leap.

"Ruuuun!" Gideon squealed feeling the tension and suspense grow as the air thickened around them.

The girl gritted her teeth. No, she had come this far, she would end it all now! She pulled out her shield and just as the knight came for the kill, her hands moved automatically in desperation. She did not see what chance her hands had brought her, neither did she see what happened, but the enemy was on its knee, stunned.

"KILL IT!" Gideon roared.

That was exactly what she needed. She was miraculously able to stun the knight with a parry. She wasted no time gawking. Her sword swings in a wild furor like a hurricane of black steel. This was the last moment that defined the battle and she did not stop until one of them was dead.

The black goo vanished from the knight as its poleaxe dropped to the side. The enemy fell on its knees before it exploded in a bright jet of smoke and ember.

"You did it, Paz! You won!"

But her brain was too slow to comprehend anything that had happened. Instead, she could feel it steaming like a race car's engine after a brutal race.

A row of words in golden letters appeared on the screen confirming her victory.

**HEIR OF FIRE DESTROYED.**

Pacifica jumped to her feet in glee holding, her best friend in her arms as they both hopped on their toes. "Praise the sun!" They both exclaimed, raising their arms in a Y-shape, their palms facing down. They finally settled with a goofy laughter.

She was still too giddy from her victory but she decided to just reward herself with a bonfire and rest. "You earned it, girl." She told her character and she switched off the console. It was just the beginning of her adventure and the start of her countless deaths, and the masochist part of her couldn't wait for the rest.

They talked about the best moments of the match and how Pacifica felt during the entire game. She showed her friend her shaking, sweaty hands as proof of her struggle. But as the excitement died down, they both subside in their seats watching TV, when a thought ran past the girl's head.

"I'm telling you, man, it's called _A Song of Ice and Fire_  because it's about Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen."

Gideon blew a raspberry. "No way! _I'm_  telling you, Paz! It's about the great war that's coming: The White Walkers versus the Dragons."

Now it was Pacifica's turn to blow a raspberry. "That's lame." It may be a possibility, but she'd rather stand with her own opinion.

"You're lame."

Pacifica threw a half-eaten piece of Cheeto at Gideon which landed square in his ear.

The blonde boy screamed, flicking it out. "Gross, Paz! It's wet!" he shouted as he jumped.

Pacifica was laughing so hard that she couldn't even speak. "No… it's… n-not!" Her friend looked like a little girl in distress after seeing a dead mouse in her shoe. It was impossible for her not to laugh at that image and she swore that she would brand it in her mind and make sure that Gideon never forgets it. That's what best friends are for, after all!

"You're sick, dude." Gideon growled with a disgusted expression, using his shirt to wipe the cheese off his ear. "You need help. Like ASAP!" He threw the piece back at her which only made her cackling louder.

She was just beginning to calm down, but she was ready to launch another piece, this time intentionally aiming it at her friend's ear, closing an eye as she aimed. But perhaps it was a sheer chance of luck that saved Gideon from the attack, because when they heard the doorbell rang, Gideon ran to answer it. "My package is here!"

Pacifica tried to catch whatever chance she had left and shot the Cheeto at the running boy, but she missed. Giving up and deciding that she will get him again later, she slouched back to her chair and continued munching on her bowl of chips.

But her peace was short lived and interrupted.

"Pacifica!" Gideon called from the front door.

"What?" She yelled back.

"I think you should come and see this!"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes, setting her bowl aside. She stood from her seat, patting the crumbs off her Nirvana shirt before joining Gideon in the doorway. "What is it, bouffant?" She teased.

Gideon gulped, not minding the insult, holding the door open. Outside was a young boy wearing a brown leather coat and a thick scarf around his neck. It was obvious that he didn't want to be recognized by the people, though the Chrysler parked on Gideon's driveway was a dead giveaway. Pacifica and Gideon knew who he was. And they hated him.

Her friendly eyes turned grim as it narrowed. "Shut the door, Gideon."

Gideon followed his friend's orders and slammed the door hard. But half a second later, the boy went knocking.

"Open up!" He demanded. "I'm here to talk!"

"You're the worst, Pines! Go home!" Pacifica yelled so he could hear her.

"Just open up! I have a proposition."

"Go away, Dipper!" Gideon joined in. He thought that it was actually fun to see his nemesis so helpless.

"Don't make me destroy this door," Dipper warned.

"You have no power here! This place is laced with unicorn hair!" Gideon smirked.

There was silence from the other boy. The two guessed that he might be trying his powers at that very moment but he can try all he want, he cannot use it within the premises.

After a long moment, Dipper spoke again. He did try to use his powers, and he failed, throwing his plan of forceful negotiation out the window. "Please. We need your help." His voice was softer so that no one would hear his plea.

Pacifica looked at Gideon and Gideon back to his friend. Despite Dipper being a figurative spawn of evil, hearing him beg was definitely something else. Pacifica rolled her eyes and finally opened the door. "What?" Her voice was as stiff as the boy's face.

"We need you in the mansion." He looked at Pacifica, then his eyes snapped at the Gideon. "You too, scrub."

Gideon growled at him.

"What for?" The girl folded her arms. "With all your infinite magical  _la-di-da's_ , what could you possibly need our help for?"

"We only need  _your_  help." He pointed at the blonde girl. " _You_ , I have no idea." He gestured at Gideon. "But it's not something we can't deal with. It's only that we have an important matter to attend to and we need you to keep it from spilling all over our guests, if you know what I mean."

"What exactly do you mean, Pines?" Pacifica challenged him. If they want her to work for them, she must know what she's up against.

But if Dipper's eyes could kill the girl… Well, Pacifica would still be alive. He wouldn't dare hurt her, no matter how much he wanted to.

He breathed in, trying to contain himself before he spoke. "There is…  _something_  in the house, not that it's not normal. Ghosts have been living in it for centuries. But, as you may or may not know, it's our birthday today and we have important guests coming. We do not want them spooked by a ghoul floating above their heads. We need you to do whatever it is that you do to exorcise this thing. At least temporarily, and after the party, we'll deal with it permanently." He flicked his hair to his side. Then his tone turned lazy. "You two, of course, get an exclusive access into our home and mingle with people above you, or whatever you commoners do. Basically, enjoy the party. Plus a hundred bucks. Each."

The door slammed in front of him for the second time.

"What the heck? That was a good deal!" Dipper screamed from outside, surprised that they would just ignore the benefits.

"Paz, what are you doing? We get to go inside the Pines Manor! Plus we get to have hundred bucks, Paz! A hundred bucks!"

"Have you lost your marbles, Gideon?" She shook him like a ragdoll. "Have you forgotten what Mabel did to you?"

"She didn't do anything to me." He reasoned. "She's actually very nice to me. It's you she can't stand."

"Gids, they're the Pines twins. If you look up in the dictionary the meaning of treacherous, you'd see their faces there! There won't even be a definition. It will be just  _Treacherous: Mabel and Dipper Pines_!"

"But Pacifica, you help people! It's in your blood! You're the hero!"

"Since when did you care about helping the twins? They're mean, stubborn and arrogant." Her voice was a crescendo.

"I can hear you," Dipper said from outside.

Pacifica retorted, "I know!"

"But, Paz, please. They need us!" Gideon's eyes were wide. It did most of his pleading than his words.

"You just want to see Mabel." She concluded rolling her eyes, disgusted at the idea, and also, a little betrayed.

Gideon was caught. He nodded, however, embarrassed to admit it.

"You're insane, Gideon Gleeful." She sighed, defeated, pressing her thumb and finger against her eyes. She cannot say no to her friend, no matter how ridiculous his request. She needed to change that about herself. She needed to learn a thing or two from those twins.

But what the Pines were asking was just a small job. It wasn't something she hadn't done before. Exorcising ghosts was almost a weekly job. Thanks to the journal she found, it gave her an idea on what kind of device she could make to keep the undead from making any harm to the living. However, she also saw this as an opportunity. Maybe the Pines weren't as bad as she thought. Maybe they're just different and misunderstood children.  _With powers_. Maybe if she got to see a part of their life she will be able to know what makes them tick. It was worth a shot. What could she possibly lose? "Fine." She wheezed.

They opened the door to a Dipper flicking a spider off his jacket, looking lazy and disinterested. But the moment he saw the door swing, his eyes lit up with something that could be closely compared to hope.

"So?" He asked, his tone was condescending as always.

"We're in." Pacifica nodded, reaching out her hand to seal the deal.

"Good." Dipper said, somewhat relieved. But his eyes went to the girl's cheesy, sweaty hands, and he wasn't sure if he was going to take it. But desperate times calls for desperate actions and he shook the girl's hand. It was sticky, yet soft. A stark to his imagination of it feeling like a farmer's.

Gideon held out his hand as well but Dipper simply ignored him, gesturing to the car waiting in the driveway. "Get in."

The girl shrugged and was ready to follow the Pines boy, but Gideon looked at himself, then at Pacifica. They were filthy from the early morning gnome chase and afternoon junk feasting and gaming. Plus he'd also had to tell his mother, as well as everyone else,where he was going. This was important. It was worthy as an update on Facebook. "One moment," Gideon giggled, raising a finger, smiling and pulling his best friend inside.

For the third time, the door slammed on Dipper's face.

* * *

The car pulled up on the mansion's driveway and quickly, Dipper got off, awkwardly holding the door open for Pacifica and Gideon, like a reluctant gentleman.

"Here we are." Dipper introduced and allowed them a moment to suck it all in. He thought that this was the only time they would ever experience stepping into the luxurious life. He might as well let them wade in it for as long as they would.

Gideon's eyes were sparkling as he gazed with a hanging jaw. But Pacifica was uninterested and focused more on fidgeting with a weird device that she was carrying. This annoyed Dipper, but he just allowed it to slip.

"This way." He ushered them in where a butler was waiting for them by the door, taking their jackets and Gideon's baseball cap to be kept on the closet.

The lobby was huge and rich with architectural ornaments, white marble floor and a glorious chandelier hanging from above. In the middle was a round table with a vase full of pink-purplish camellias. Directly ahead of them were a pair of grand staircases with Brazilian walnut steps and hand rails that streaked with pure ivory; between the two staircases was the gallery.

Gideon promised himself that he will see every part of that house, but for Pacifica, the round table got her attention.

She walked up to it and saw six framed portraits surrounding the vase of flowers. The first one, facing the front door was Mabel. Her elegant smile, piercing gaze and a cocked brow welcomed the visitors of the manor. She looked like the definition of beauty, no matter how hard Pacifica argued with herself. To her right was Dipper, without a smile as always; his jaw was clenched and his hair was perfect on the side. There was an unfamiliar prick on Pacifica's chest as if a bullet bounced off of her forcing her to admit, even just this once, that Dipper had the looks.

Next to Dipper was their mother sitting up straight with her hair in a braided bun. Next was their father who looked more like Mabel, followed by a man Pacifica's too familiar with: Stanford, still as stoic as always. Her brows scrunched. She knew that he had some information about the twins, but why was his picture there? Next to the old man was…  _Stanford_?  _Again_? But no, this one had a genuine smile on his face, as if he was happy with his life! She looked a little closer and tried to distinguish one picture from the other. The first Stanford had the gray of his hair start from his sideburns, the second Stanford had no gray hair at all; the first one was grumpy, the second was carefree... The list goes on. Their differences were obvious and even a chimpanzee would be able to separate one from the other. It was easy to put together but the idea seemed surreal and unrealistic. Does Stanford have a twin? Are they related to the Pines? The second question was more shocking to Pacifica than the first. Stanford always warned her about the Pines - how she should always watch her back around them. But if that was the case, why would he warn her about his relatives? Because they had powers? Nonsense! That was no reason for him to be that paranoid. Mabel and Dipper never once used their powers in public, and even more so to hurt others. The only time they did was to scatter those pesky gnomes.

Unless...

"Welcome to the Pines Manor!" Mabel greeted cheerfully as she paraded down the stairs, cutting Pacifica from her concentration. "I'm so glad you could come." Her eye fluttered at the small blonde boy but stabbed when she saw Pacifica. "Except for you, Northwest."

"Oh," Pacifica's arms were akimbo. "I'm glad your thoughts about me hasn't changed even though you so desperately need my help."

Mabel's eyes were ice cold daggers, but Pacifica's were not less any deadlier. "I do not need your help." She emphasized each word. "You are nothing but a cork to stop a leak until I get to the harbor."

"Then you shouldn't fill your boat with holes in the first place!" She snapped. High five-ing herself inside her head. That was the best comeback she had ever made her entire life. A tiny victory for the Northwest girl!

The two locked into a deadly stare and neither were giving way. Dipper had to jump in and stop the two before they tore each other's throats out. "We're losing daylight, Mabel. You should get ready before the guests come pouring in."

The other twin shot her brother with a look, insulted by him giving her a command. But he was right. She doesn't have the time to deal with rats at the moment. There would be a lot of time for that later.

Suddenly, Mabel's lips curled into a cat-like smile and walked straight for Gideon. There was a weird spring on her steps as if she didn't carry an ounce of trouble. "Come now, you little love bug," she said pulling his arm. "I've got a suit prepared just for you, and I can't wait to see you put it on." She giggled girlishly. Her finger gently landed on the tip of the boy's nose. "Boop!"

Gideon blushed and a horde of thoughts invaded his mind. He followed dumbly as Mabel pulled him upstairs.

"Dipper. Bring  _her_  to the other room where my unwanteds are. And let her keep it. I don't want her germs spreading to the rest of my clothes. After that, take her to the room where it happens the most." They then disappeared from sight.

"I don't like watching that." Pacifica declared, shivering. Her best friend and her arch enemy walking away together hand in hand made her feel like parasitical worms were inside her.

"Believe it or not, Northwest, I'm ready to gouge my eyes out now."

Dipper and Pacifica went up the stairs when they were sure that Mabel and Gideon will no longer be seen or heard. But while they waited, Pacifica wondered who Stanford was to the twins and how come she had never heard of a mention of Stanford's brother before. She will need to dig through that later. Right now, she had a job to do.

Pacifica followed Dipper with a decent space between them. It was a whole new environment up there. Where the lobby was brightly lit, the upper halls were not much so; where the lobby gave energy, the upper halls made her feel relaxed. As a matter of fact, Pacifica preferred to just spend the rest of her night on the upper halls lying on the soft carpet floor. It seemed like a very nice place to take a nap. But the trip itself to the room they were going to was rather pleasant if Dipper remained quiet, which he did without effort. It was hard to imagine that a house as pleasant as the one she's in now belonged to the people she despised the most.

When Dipper stopped in front of a mahogany door, so alike the dozens they've passed before, Pacifica knew that it was the room that Mabel told them to go to. Dipper looked at the blonde girl, eyeing her from head to toe. "Do you need to take a shower?"

Pacifica looked at herself. She still smelled like cheese powder from the junk she had been eating. As much as she didn't care about such fancy events, she didn't want to be seen as primitive and ill-mannered. "Yes, please." She chirped.

Dipper sighed and looked at his watch. "We have an hour to get ready for the party. You have fifteen minutes to wash, and thirty to get dressed, dry your hair and put makeup on. I will send someone to fix you up."

"I can fix myself up really good, thank you very much!" She sing-songed. She was confident from the training she had from Youtube. As boyish as she may seem, she was still a girl.

Dipper didn't believe a single thing she said, but he didn't made any comment about it. There was no point in insulting her at the moment. "Fine. As long as you do it quickly. I'll get ready, too. I'll be back in a while. Feel free to choose what you want to wear. Dress, shoes, jewelries and all." He opened the door and allowed the girl in.

Pacifica stepped inside. When the door closed behind her, she marveled at the beauty of the room. She could see that scarlet was the primary color - from the Persian rug by the foot of the bed, to the elegant walls. It was the most majestic room that she had ever been to. Quickly, she jumped onto the bed and rolled around it, giggling like a child seeing snow for the first time, feeling its cool comfort tickle her insides. After, she raced to the walk-in closet and gazed in wonder at all the shoes and clothes and perfume, all in perfect condition, that have been discarded by Mabel. She needed to hand it to that auburn witch, she has a pretty good taste in fashion.

Pacifica ran her fingers through all the dresses that she could wear. There were a lot, and if she were any other girl it would take a lifetime for her to choose the top best dresses and another to choose the one she would wear for the night. But luckily, she's not like most women, and she pulled out the first thing that caught her eye. She searched for shoes that would match the dress next, and  _voila_  she's done. Placing her choices on the bed, she grabbed a towel and got to the bathroom where she enjoyed a nice hot bath.

When she was finished, she dried herself and tinkered with the stuff inside the bathroom. Her whole definition of fancy depended only on two crucial things: the food and the bathroom, and the Pines Manor was already halfway to being called fancy in her book. Satisfied, she opened the door and stepped out, steam following her steps only to catch a sight of the auburn boy, standing and waiting for her. Pacifica screamed a girly scream, quickly wrapping the towel around her body as she ran back inside the glowing room she was just in.

Dipper blushed. Seeing that much skin from a woman was a first for him and he didn't exactly know what to do. Should he look up? Should he look down? Should he keep staring?

"Turn around, you idiot!" Tears were welling in her eyes and her cheeks were as hot as the sun. The embarrassment was torture that she could not bear. She didn't even know if she was going to survive through it.

Dipper did as he was told without a single peep, spinning on his heel and tapping his shoes, trying to brush the awkwardness away.

"Now, keep your back to me."

"How should I know where you-"

"Follow my voice! Don't you dare turn your head!"

"If it's any consolation, I didn't see anything specific."

"Shut up, Pines!"

"I swear!" Blood was making his cheeks fuller.

"I said shut up!"

Pacifica quickly made her way to her clothes before running to the walk-in to change. "Why didn't you knock?" She yelled from inside.

"Because this is my house." He reasoned. It was true, and he wasn't expecting people to actually walk out of the bathroom naked.

"Still, you know that there's a girl in here. You still should've knocked! You've been living your whole life in luxury, but you still don't have a single speck of courtesy!"

He tried to make a witty remark, but as his head ran through all that he could say, he realized that  _he_  was wrong. He dropped it, digging his heel on the carpet floor and making tiny carpet circles. "Sorry," He said. She was right. He still needed to knock regardless if he owned the house or not.

Pacifica stopped halfway through pulling her dress up, wondering if she heard him correctly.  _Did he just apologize_? She asked herself, before snapping out of it. Hearing what he said was rarer than finding a monster at the bottom of a lake.

"But you're already late. It took you twenty-five minutes to take a bath. I specifically said fifteen."

_And he's back_. "Yeah, I know. I'm changing as quickly as I can."

She bursts out of the walk-in barefooted and went to the mirror to blow dry her hair. Her movements were snappy, as if well planned and executed. She was trying to make up for the lost time

Dipper watched her, then his clock. He knew that it would take her an eternity to finish drying her golden locks, as thick as it was. "What sort of style are you planning for your hair, Pacifica?"

_Pacifica? What is this guy snorting_? The only thing rarer than hearing him apologize was hearing him say her name, which was never! But it was magic to her that made her skin crawl. What kind of spell was he using against her? "Nothing," She replied watching his reflection "Nothing in particular."

"So, just your everyday look?" Dipper cocked a brow.

"Yes."

He stretched his right hand towards her, palms down before moving his hand in a graceful circle with his fingers shadowing his motion. He gathered all the water from the girl's hair and drained it from each individual strand into a floating bubble in the air. With a flick of his wrist, the water evaporated. Pacifica looked at Dipper with surprise, hairdryer still in hand and howling. She blinked once and noticed that her hair was done. It looked just like it always did, only even better - not a single strand was out of place.

"And makeup?" Dipper was offering.

"No, thank you." She'd rather not. She doesn't want that magic on her face.

But she lived up to her promise this time. She made a quick job of putting colors on her face. She didn't need magic for that. It must have been a secret talent of hers because very soon, she was finished. When she was content with how she did her face, she ran for her shoes and slipped them on before running back to the mirror to see her dramatic change in height, fixing miniature details to make herself look good. Mabel's clothes fit her perfectly, and even she could admire the way she looked. Perhaps in another universe, Mabel and Pacifica were best friends.

But Dipper kept staring. He had never seen that dress before. It was a simple purple sleeveless dress with the hem an inches below her knee. But as simple as it was, she looked lovely, heavenly, even. She seemed different than her everyday look of t-shirts and jeans. She didn't look like a tomboy, but rather a proper, elegant woman. He thought that perhaps she should always dress like the way she does at that moment. That would catch his attention even more.

"I don't know who you guys think you're impressing with this." She said, straining to catch the zipper on her back.

Dipper moved towards her and zipped it up. His cold fingers brushing against her skin was electrifying and it made her shiver, rendering her speechless and unable to breathe. "Pleasedon'tdothat." She whispered, but Dipper didn't seem to hear.

She instantly relaxed when she felt him take a few steps back. "Everyone," He replied calmly. "But we do not only impress them. We make them respect us. That's the very foundation of this family."

Pacifica breathed with him a safe distance away, but his smell lingered on.  _Seriously, his magic is overwhelming!_  "That's funny. Do you make people respect you with your magic powers?" She kidded expecting his retort any second now.

But there was no response from him. He was too busy fixing his tuxedo in his reflection.

Pacifica thought that he had always been the mysterious type of guy. That's what made the girls flock around him like pigeons of Dipper-shaped bread crumbs, and unfortunately pumps up his head larger than a zeppelin. But aside from the external factor that most girls see, Pacifica has a different eye on him. For her, most things about Dipper Pines that are hidden from the rest of the people are lying in broad daylight. She knows that his mysteriousness was a product of being a slave to his sister. She knows that his uncaring facade was a product of brewing emotions pent up inside him. And she wondered, what if she opened him up? Would he be a book of unimaginable beauty and wonder, or would he be a Pandora's Box?

She was tempted to find out. She always had been.

"Come on." He said, opening the door for her, seeing that she was ready.

Pacifica followed, but just as she was out of the room, Dipper raised an arm to block her way. "Do you wear earrings?"

The blonde girl nodded. "But I forgot mine at home."

Dipper pulled out a small pair of teardrop shaped earrings from his pocket.

"Are those-" Her heart sank and her voice cracked. She never expected to see them in real life.

"Diamonds. Yes."

"Where'd you got those?" She asked without much thought.

"From inside," He simply said.

"I can't use that, Dipper. It's-"

"You can't go down there without an jewelry. It's either this or the pearl necklace."

She gulped, but there was a lump in her throat. She simply cannot imagine herself wearing expensive charcoals on her ears. It seemed unnatural. But she took it anyway and placed them on her lobes. It wasn't heavy; it wasn't light, but she was hyper aware of its gentle kiss on her skin as it dangled. However, she was wrong. It  _was_  natural, and she wanted to keep it.

But it seemed that Dipper wasn't finished. He brought out a bottle of perfume and presented it to her. "I think this will suit you best." He shrugged.

She could smell it even with their distance. It was sweet with a refreshing nutty scent that seemed to embrace her nose and caress her insides. Childishly, she nodded and he sprayed her with a chaste amount. When he finished, he tossed it onto the bed before he closed the door and they began walking silently down the hall together.

For some reason, she kept her head down. She was a bit wobbly from the heels, but she was keeping her balance. Her bare shoulders brushed against Dipper's jacket and it made her tingly. She knew she should have taken the shawl from Mabel's rejects but it was too late to go back now.

Pacifica cursed at herself, _Fight it, damn it! Fight it!_  But whatever magic that had stricken her, it was too powerful for her to overcome.

"Are you sure you're wearing makeup?" Dipper asked, looking at her. Another rare thing that she was all too lucky to experience - A tiny smile that pulled as a generous smirk.

"Yeah, why? Is it bad?" A sudden wave of worry and insecurity attacked her. It was her first time wearing it in public and she was afraid that she might look like the clown from  _It_.

"No. It seems natural." He nodded. "Good job, Northwest. You don't look like a total snob."

* * *

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Pines!" Pacifica cooed as she walked up to them by the entrance of the dining room. But they didn't seem to notice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Excuse me? Mr. and Mrs. Pines?"

The couple slowly turned to the blonde girl, their champagne in their hands. They smiled at her, though rather eerily with their unblinking eyes.

"Uhm, hi!" She was sinking in the quicksand of awkwardness.

"Hello, dear!" Mr. Pines boomed as if were trying to talk through insanely loud rave music. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"It hasn't started yet." Pacifica peeped, raising her shoulders, trying her best to wear a pleasant smile.

"Great!" Mr. Pines nodded before he and his wife turned back to dining room.

_Okay_? Pacifica thought as she backed away the way she came, but not before hearing Mrs. Pines say "So many people."

Standing gauchely on the side, shifting her weight from foot to foot, she watched the people fly by, greeting each other and socializing. She felt out of place. Not even the servants bothered to stop and offer her some finger foods. She was starving. But her thoughts were taken away when she saw the person she hated the most. Pacifica watched her like a hawk, eyeing her every movement as Mabel went around greeting guests and introducing them to Gideon whose arm was latched with the girl's. Pacifica hated every piece of that auburn witch, and what Gideon was seeing in her was a total mystery. She wanted to approach her friend, but she didn't felt like it was the time. However, she knew that she needed to talk to him about his choice of women, maybe even ask Stanford to remove some spells that have been placed on her friend. She needed to do this soon.

But what she hated the most was seeing how Mabel treated her parents.

The Pines remained standing where they were and just gawked at the other guests with the creepy smile on their faces. Just like the guests that walked around Pacifica, no one dared to talk to them or even shake their hands. They were invisible. When Mabel saw them, she groaned and she stomped towards them and said, "I told you two to take your seats! You are in no position to meet guests."

Her parent's faces looked devastated but more afraid of their daughter. But Mrs. Pines replied with, "Sure thing, Mabel dear." Before walking out of the Dining room.

Pacifica's jaw dropped. Not once have she ever heard of a child speak to her parents the way that girl did. It was an abomination and absolute barbarism.

Dipper saw Pacifica watching the scene with horrified looks, and when their eyes met, he simply shook his head.

"What the heck was that?" She asked him.

"Nevermind that." He passed her a glass of strawberry sparkle.

"But that was rude! How can you two speak to your parents like they're just part of the people you pay in this house?"

" _I_  don't." He said through gritted teeth. "She does. She told me to stay away from them, and so I do."

Pacifica choked on her drink. what kind of a messed up family affair do they have? She wanted to ask it all, but she settled for something else. "You guys treat your parents like crap but you're still not allowed to drink alcohol?" She said, taking another sip of the fizzy drink. She had no idea why she settled for that question.

"You're going to sit with us at the front." He said, leaving Pacifica's answer floating somewhere, while he watched the room. "You'll be at the second seat to my right. You'll sit beside Mayor Befufftlefumpter."

"Are you serious?" She almost sprayed the drink. It had an unusual warmth as it streamed down her esophagus.

"What's wrong?" He cocked his brow.

She stopped and realized that she actually didn't have anything to say. It felt like she wanted to say something but she couldn't find it.

"Come on." Dipper pulled her in. "It's going to start."

As promised, Dipper pulled the chair next to the mayor, allowed her to take the seat before being a gentleman and gently pushed her to the table. She felt like a princess, but instead of butterflies, she felt maggots on her stomach.

"Good evening, Mister Mayor." She greeted the old man, his wisdom was evident in his hair and was etched on the bags of his face.

"Why, good evening, young girl!" The Mayor shook her hands, his voice was shrill and shaky. How he was still able to manage the town was another mystery of the Falls, but then again, there wasn't much to manage. "I see that Dipper finally found a girl."

The boy smiled kindly, though Pacifica knew that it was fake. Unlike the one he gave her upstairs. Not saying that she liked it, only it was strange. "She's not my date, sir." He responded casually, his voice was calm and smooth. "She's a guest."

"Well, you might as well start dating. You two look good together!"

The maggots inside Pacifica's stomach had now morphed into fully grown botflies.

"Perhaps, someday." Dipper tried to entertain the old man, but this only made the flies lay their eggs on Pacifica's stomach lining. "May I introduce you to her? Mayor Eustace Befufftlefumpter, Pacifica Northwest. Pacifica, the mayor."

"I'm very glad to meet you, sir." She gave him her sweetest smile despite the disgust rolling in her guts.

"The pleasure is mine, dear."

Though, despite the awkward remarks about her dating Dipper, a.k.a 'Klarion the Witch Boy' Pines, meeting the town mayor was rather a pleasant encounter. He was a good man and she can see why the sleepy old town loved him. But of course, her happy thoughts were ripped right out of her and were stomped on the ground. Mabel coughed, catching their attention.

"Hello, Mayor Befufftlefumpter! I am so glad you could make it." Mabel chirped happily.

"Well, this might be my last year. I might as well enjoy it while I can. Happy Birthday, you twins."

"Aww, thank you very much!" She held the old man's hand in hers. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll see you again for our 18th birthday."

The old man chuckled. "I hope not."

"Would you mind if I grab my brother and our  _guest_  for a quick word?"

"Oh, don't worry. You three go and talk."

Mabel nodded before she pulled Dipper and Pacifica to the side away from the table. Her friendly mask had now been demolished. "What are you doing here?" She snapped at them both. "Didn't I tell you to go patch the problem up?"

Pacifica opened her mouth to talk, but Dipper went first. "A part of our deal with them was to let them enjoy the privileges of the party." He tried to explain, but his face was no longer stoic. It was hinted with agitation and fear. "So, that means her enjoying the dinner as well."

"Well, I don't give a rat's ass if she enjoyed the party or not! I gave her a job, and by the zodiac, she will do that job!"

"She can't go ghost hunting on an empty stomach." It was amazing how he was still alive.

"It's okay. Just show me where the room is and I'll be on my way." Pacifica chimed in, eyeing the auburn witch with her bluing eyes.

But Dipper held her in place.

Pacifica's eyes shot to her hand in his then she looked up at him. He was standing his ground against his sister, and for what? For her? Why? Why would Dipper do such a thing? It's just dinner! It's not like her mom didn't prepare something for her to eat when she gets home. No, she would prefer eating mom's stew in the comfort of their tiny dining room rather than spend an hour and a half with the twins. She wanted to pull herself away, but the rest of her body decided to stay put. She couldn't even dare pull her hand from him. She really needed to go and get Stanford to see what evil spell is swirling inside her.

"Wow! I see you're growing a pair,  _bro-bro_!" That disgusted Pacifica. "Fine. Hide behind the crowd for now. You and I will have a little talk after the party's over. Do you understand?"

Dipper clenched his jaw.

"And you." Her eyes pierced the blonde girl again. "Enjoy it while it lasts." With a smooth spin, her beautiful hair flying behind her, she left.

Pacifica looked on, petrified, while Dipper seemed to have all his blood pooling to his face. Small shivers quaked on his shoulder, and his head twitched a little. The blonde girl gritted her teeth and winced. She tried to pull her hand off him but it was locked tight. She could feel her bones cracking.

"D-Dipper…" She tried to push him off.

Her touch snapped him out and brought him back to reality. His eyes widened and the blood drained back to his body. He looked at Pacifica's straining face before he released her.

"I'm sorry," He quickly said. He tried to hold her but she backed away.

"What the hell was that?"

"I didn't mean to."

She rubbed her hand, clenched it then released. The pain was beginning to fade. In the slightest sense, she understood Dipper's reaction, so she forgot about it and shifted her attention so something else. "I could've just gone and done what she wanted!"

But Dipper just looked at her, his face back to its usual stern expression. He didn't give her an answer, but instead, left her standing there to go back to his seat.  _So much for a gentleman_.

She breathed in.

She breathed out.

She swore that the whole mansion was playing with her head. She needed to focus and clear her mind of its influence. But she couldn't shake the idea that Dipper stuck his neck up for her.

Finally, she went back to the table. As Pacifica looked through the people sitting on the table with her, she saw faces that she was familiar with. The first one, on the other end of the table, was a UFC fighter she had seen on TV a couple of times. The woman next to him was Kelly Kansas, a country pop song singer, Gideon sat next to her, smiling so brightly, then Mabel and Dipper. It seemed the most important people sat with the birthday celebrants, so she wondered, whose seat was she sitting on? It was odd, however, that their parents were not with them. She scanned the crowd but there was no evidence of the Pines couple.

"That's sad," She whispered unconsciously.

"It is." The mayor agreed.

"What?" She snapped out of her thinking and looked at the old man. "I'm sorry, sir. Did you say something?"

"I saw you looking around, I figured you were looking for the parents." He said with a gentle smile. "It is sad that they are not here with us. It's sad that they're never seen as much as before."

"Why is that?" Pacifica asked. "I mean, why aren't they here? It's their children's birthday."

"Damned if I know, dear. But if I were to be honest, I'd say it would have been better if they didn't have the twins." He was speaking so quietly so that Dipper wouldn't catch a word he's saying. "In fact, I would say that everything would have been better for the couple if Stanley hadn't come along."

"Who's Stanley, sir?"

"Stanford's twin brother, of course!"

_The other twin_! "W-what happened?" Her voice was being forced out of her lungs as she asked in a hurry.

"I have no idea, dear. It's just that something happened after the twins' 8th birthday. Then Stanley and his best friend Fiddleford disappeared."

"Mister Mayor," Dipper leaned in at the old man. "The party is starting."

The old man gulped and he was as stiff as a tree. "O-of course, my boy. Wouldn't want to miss it." He chuckled nervously.

Pacifica turned away as the lights dimmed, trying to force herself to look at the girls perform a classical Indian dance. But she did not dare look at the edge of her vision because he was there. Staring at her with glowing blue eyes.

There were five performances in total, including Kelly Kansas singing a song she had written for the twins. The performances were followed by short speeches from the guests stating their adoration for the Pines family; one girl even announced that she would gladly give herself in marriage to Dipper when they turn 21. Then the moment that Pacifica, and everyone else, was waiting for. The servers poured out from the kitchen with trolleys carrying the appetizer. They first served Mabel and Dipper, then the rest. The first dish was a bowl of gazpacho, and Pacifica first wondered why it was cold.

"It is served cold," The old man told her, smiling.

After the appetizer, the fish course came in, which was followed by the main course. She had no idea what she was eating, but if it were to satisfy her angry guts, she would happily gorge it all down. But luckily Mayor Befufftlefumpter was there to help her through the meals. He pointed out which silverware was to be used on what dish, as well as how to properly use her utensils. It was an educational meal, and the mayor was a good mentor to her, and most importantly, he was a good person to talk to. He may be old, but his wits were still sharp. He talked about the people of Gravity Falls - those who came and left, and those who stayed for life. He educated her on the oldest families in town and their stories, and as it turns out, Robbie's family was the oldest surviving members of the community, having stayed there for more than two centuries, and the youngest was Pacifica and her mother being there for only a few months. But aside from the town's deep history, he also had the most hilarious jokes Pacifica had ever heard. He was a hundred-year-old reservoir of information, and she loved every moment she spent with him.

Finally, when everyone was finished eating, a server came out pushing a trolley carrying a four-foot tall cake. The servers moved like ants, placing slices on plates and delivering to the celebrants first. When a slice finally reached Pacifica, she viewed it like it was a piece of art. The cake itself was moist and bouncy, almost like chiffon, the coconut cream fondant was laced with gold leaves, and a gentle drizzle of honey-colored syrup blankets the entire piece. It looked magnificent as her fork gently carved the tip. She took a bite and everything melted inside her mouth. Her tongue rejoiced and her soul danced. It was the best cake that she had ever tasted in her life! She wanted to have more even if it would turn her into a whale. She was convinced. Good food plus good bathroom was an outstanding combination, and the Pines Manor was, indeed, fancy.

Except for one thing. Of course, it was Mabel.

She stopped the blonde girl from carving another piece out of her cake and pulled her off her seat and dragged her, albeit, subtly to the back near the kitchen door where Dipper was already waiting. "Alright," She threw Pacifica to her brother who caught her, "You had your dinner, now do your job!" Her voice was stiff as she stressed each word. It was obvious that she had no intention to linger around the two because she walked away and vanished just as soon as she came in.

Pacifica was rubbing her wrist. That witch had a grip of steel. She felt bad as she watched her cake in the distance be pulled out from the table to be thrown away. That single event broker her heart, knowing that she wasn't, at all, important.

"You guys are evil." She muttered loud enough for Dipper to hear. She yanked herself out of his hands and stomped out of the dining room, leaving everyone else.

When she was finally out, she took one last look to say goodbye to the mayor, but he probably couldn't see her anymore with his ancient eyes. But she also envied her friend Gideon as he munched on his second piece of cake while Mabel cheered him on. It was unfair. She was there to do the dirty work but she gets nothing out of it. Not even a whole slice of cake. She sighed, finally understanding her place.

"This way," Dipper called, leading on. Pacifica followed silently.

_Let's just get this over with_ , she thought, pulling out her device along with her phone.

Unlike their short walks before dinner, Dipper observed how slowly she was moving, and how her golden hair was hiding her face. There was no question about it. He can sympathize. No. He can understand. It was the same hurt he has had a million times before.

"What is that?" Dipper pointed at the girl's weird device, slowing down to match her pace. It was his weak attempt to lift her spirits.

"Electro disyncronizer." She muttered, not caring if he heard what she said or not.

"You made that?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's interesting. What does it do?"

"Well, look who's suddenly into small talks!" She barked.

Dipper went silent, stunned, looking down to his Italian leather shoes before he looked back up at the girl. He can compare it to a very humid room. He can feel it sticking to his skin, and Pacifica's bold emotions filled the air that he was breathing. His meager attempts have failed him. In fact, he made it worse.

The reason, at least for the girl, was simple. She didn't like that she felt like she was being toyed with. There was a shallow well of anger boiling in her guts, but it was steadily growing. It sparked when she was abruptly pulled back to reality after a short dream of extravagance and importance. Sitting in the front with the mayor and the celebrants made her feel like she was at the top of society. She enjoyed it. It was addicting. Butt being brought down to her place raptured her pride. It hurts to know that she never had the place at all; that she was just someone to fill the missing seat; that she was just another girl under the heel of the Pines. She was just a tool.

When he realized that she was no longer going to talk, he breathed in, and slowly let it out. He didn't want to raise his would be the point of arguing with her just because she didn't want to talk? He composed himself, pulling his uncaring facade back together so he could reach into the pocket of his jacket and present it to Pacifica. "Here," he said, pulling a lump of something wrapped in a table napkin. "Don't worry. It's clean." He pulled the silk cloth off to reveal a piece of the coconut cream cake. "Take it."

It seemed to glisten as she held it in her hands. All her frustrations coming from a cake? How ridiculous! She slowly bit on it and all of the emotions that weighed her down was swept away to the deepest part of her mind. She will have to brood about it later. But taking a bite from Dipper's cake, it seemed sweeter than the one she had before, even without the syrup. She looked up at him while she munched on her cake like a rabbit, her eyes wide and apologetic. "Thanks," she squeaked.

Dipper answered her with a nod, noting how weird women can get when taken from their sweets. Watching her munch and stuff her mouth put a small smile on his face. He waited for her to finish, which didn't take long. Soon she was handing him back the silk napkin. He took it, balled it and shoved into his jacket. "Ready to go?"

Pacifica gestured to him to lead the way, wiping the crumbs off the side of her mouth, and she followed close behind. They went through a series of hallways which all looked the same. They went through countless closed doors and she wondered how many rooms did the place have. She tried to count them but sooner lost track, and so she gave up.

The boy stopped in front of a closed double door, holding the brass knobs tightly. He took a deep breath and said "Here, we are. Are you ready?"

"Wait!" Pacifica stopped him, pulling out her phone and opening her ebook app.

"What are you doing?"

"Reviewing." She shrugged, browsing through the digital pages. "Okay, I'm good to go." Her eyes never left her screen.

Dipper rolled his eyes. He twisted the knob and pushed it open and a gust of air ran past them as if it had been holding it breath for a very long time. He flicked the lights open revealing a large room hiding in the shadow.

"Woah!" Pacifica looked with awe as she took her first step inside the room, her shoes sinking into the antique white Saxony carpet.

Seeing how tiny she was compared to the excessively large space, she imagined herself spending the rest of her life comfortably living inside it. It could be their house! Heck, it was larger than the apartment they were staying in.

The room seemed to be divided into three main parts. The first was to her left, a large brick fireplace was perched on the side with tiny knick-knacks sitting on the mantel shelf. On its hood hung a life-size portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Pines, looking young and genuinely happy, so unlike what Pacifica saw earlier that evening. It was a cozy cottage-style living room with a nara coffee table and a trio of comfortable couches. The second part lies in the middle where a grand piano was waiting to be played; cool light shimmered above it giving it a calm aura. The last part was a miniature library; its walls were guarded by bookshelves filled with unlimited knowledge. Two rocking chairs were settled diagonally against each other. The caramel-colored walls were aesthetically dotted with pictures and painting, while tall floor-to-ceiling windows faced opposite the doorway. It showed the view of the east side of the mansion where the hills rolled and the sea of trees prevailed. She regretted coming this late. She would have loved to see it during the day.

"What is this room?" She asked, spinning like a broken ballerina, taking it all in.

"This is our parent's private room. No one is allowed to come here except them."

"So, why are we here?"

"Because this is where it began happening. Or at least, that's what Mabel said."

She kicked her fascination of the room off for now and focused on the job at hand. "So what kind of ghosts are we talking about?" She asked, scanning through her phone.

This annoyed Dipper more than he cared to admit.

"What are you looking at?" Dipper yanked the phone from her hands and took a look.

"Rude." She rolled her eyes the same way her voice did. "You could've just asked and I would've given it to you."

"There are classifications for ghosts?" His tone was skeptical, reinforced by the cock of his brow, and the girl didn't like that. "Where did you get this? How to spot a ghost dot com?"

Her hands were as swift as lightning as she grabbed her phone back. "No. It's from the journal that I found. And yes, there are. Now describe the ghost, Pines."

He rolled his eyes for the second time in five minutes. "It makes things shake. It lifts things up. You know, that that is ridiculous."

"No, it's not. Not since we're talking about a poltergeist. What else?" She pulled out her little device.

"And now what is that?"

"I already told you. It's an Electro disyncronizer. It disrupts the electromagnetic field of the apparition so that it will cease to manifest and conjure a form.

Dipper just stared at her wondering if she was serious. "Really?"

"What were you expecting, the holy hand grenade of Antioch?"

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Pacifica Northwest, you're not making any sense!"

"Wow, you haven't watched  _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_? What have you been doing in your life?"

"I educate myself with books." He replied with that cool arrogance of his.

"Dork." She blew a raspberry. "Now the ghost. Describe it, Pines." Ghost hunting had always made her feel pumped. It was a thrilling hobby that never ceased to raise the hair on her back no matter how many times she's done it. Or it could be the sugar from the cake. Who knows?

But Dipper had no idea what it looked like. That morning was the first time he experienced it's presence and came to know of its existence, so he just shook his head.

The blonde girl blew air out of her nose, thinking. "How did it manifest?"

"Manifest?"

"How did the shaking start, wow, I thought you were the smart one?" She clarified.

The auburn boy ignored her insult and thought about it, though he was not really sure. He shook his head again.

Pacifica began to pace, tapping her device on her chin. "What was the  _last_  thing you did?"

"I punished the butler."

Her head tilted to the side,  _of course_. "You punished the butler?"

"He placed the spoons wrong. It had to be done."

She gave up. That interview wasn't a help at all.

Unless…

"How did you punish him?" She asked quickly as if out of breath. She could feel the gears in her head start turning again.

Shrugging, he answers, "I made him slap himself."

"You used your magic?"

Dipper nodded.

Was there a connection? She had never experienced a manifestation based on magic before, neither had she read about it in the journal. But, then again, Mabel and Dipper were the only two people who can use magic in Gravity Falls. If that was the case, there must be a possibility.

Dipper sighed, feeling irritation swell inside him. "Let's just get this over with, Northwest."

"On it," She said, her device singing a tone as it comes to life.

Dipper took off his jacket and his bow tie and pulled up his sleeves so he would be more comfortable, leaving only his dark vest that held his frame so perfectly that Pacifica had to stop herself from staring. Who knew that Dipper had broad shoulders with a chest to match it with?

"What are your categories about?" He asked, walking up to her.

The girl gulped, trying not to look at him. "Ghosts fall on a ten-category scale and your problem sounds like a category one!"

"And that device of yours is going to neutralize it?"

"That's the idea!" She winked. Yep! _It's the cake alright_! She mentally slapped some sense to herself. "Okay, bring it out!"

"What?"

"The ghost, call it out. I'm ready for this sucker!"

"Why me?"

"It has a connection with you. Use your magic."

He tried to assess if what she was saying was making any sense, but he had no idea what they're doing in the first place. He had no choice. The sooner this thing is finished, the sooner he could rest. Following what the girl instructed her, he held up his hands and made them burn with a bright blue flame. But, "Nothing's happening!"

"Just you wait, Pines!" She was starting to feel tingly inside. Sugar rush plus the thrill of hunting was fueling her now.

The walls began shaking, pushing some books and knick-knack off their shelves. Dipper casts a spell on the entire room so none of the guests would hear what was going on. But the walls shook harder and harder until paintings fell off; the piano matched a horrible tone with every quake, and the chandelier tinkled threateningly from above.

"Here it comes!" Pacifica looked at the painting of the Pines couple as it was the only one that hadn't fallen off or moved. She narrowed her eyes with laser focus. This ends now.

She was not expecting the scream.

She froze from where she stood. Her feet felt like lead as enormous arms pushed out of the portrait causing a waterfall of stale, stinking red. A creature emerged out of it, with a blood-curdling cry that disturbed her very soul. The creature jumped out, six emaciated limbs catching itself on the floor and crushing a sofa underneath. The creature shrieked again as Dipper pulled Pacifica under the piano to hide.

"Do something! It's here!" He whisper-yelled, shaking the girl back to focus.

"I-It's not…" There were tears welling in her eyes and ruining her mascara.

"What?" Dipper's stiffness was worsened

Pacifica shook her head, her hair flying in a flurry. Her voice was starting to peak and break. "It's n-not a category o-one."

"Then what is it?"

"I-I don't know..." She was too petrified to talk properly as she blankly stared into space. "This is bad, Dipper. This is very bad."

"What does your journal say?"

The girl hassled to bring her phone out, speed reading through the categories. "T-ten? I think? Or more..." She sounded unsure.

"What do we do?"

She pressed the screen to the boy's face making him read what was written, ' _Run_!'

The creature stooped under the piano, its head was as large as the sofa that it was standing on, with red flakes of decaying flesh hanging from the bones. Its massive dead eye was locked on them as it screamed once more churning their blood. Panicking, Pacifica cranked the dial of her device to the maximum and pointed it at the creature's face before shooting.

The creature hissed as its cheekbones cracked with a loud snap. But it spun its head over its back, revealing another face. It was longer, and it had both eyes and thin wisps of hair draped over its face. Its mouth looked like it was smiling revealing hundreds of perfectly flat-topped teeth. This face screamed an octave higher, stabbing their ears and sliding them back with its putrid breath. It raised one of its front limbs like a dumb giant, slow and disorganized, aiming at its targets.

But Dipper could see what it was about to do and reacted based on his pure instinct, pulling Pacifica out just in time.

Its bony hands crashed into the piano, pancaking it with a final dreadful song. Its eyes slowly followed the two. It pushed itself up, squaring its shoulder and bending its knees like an alligator, its whole structure steaming.

"Take off your shoes." Dipper commanded the girl.

Pacifica looked up at him but didn't ask why. She just did it.

Dipper's eye shot to the exit, planning his route. The monster was the only thing in his way. He judged that if they make a run for it, they will not make it. It will swat them off like a fly. Pacifica will slow him down and he cannot trust her with the escape. Leaving her behind was a possibility, but it was not in his options. But being trapped in that room was suicide. His eyes now moved to his right. They were backed up against the window. They could jump outside but it was a big drop. They won't survive that fall, taking it out of decision. There was no other choice left. They need to make a run for it. They need to lure it outside. They need to deal with it as far away from the guests as possible.

"Hold your breath," He told Pacifica, and again, she followed without question, filling her lungs to the brim. At a moment like this, she would trust Dipper, even with her life.

An arm locked around her waist, holding her tight while another held her head agsinst his chest. She was so close to him. They were in a tight embrace. Pacifica her own arms to grab the boy, clutching him with all her strength.

Without warning, she heard a hollow boom and the room passed her by in a blur. Her stomach threatened to burst as her head spun. She lets go of her breath and tried to catch her bearing, not understanding what had happened and the next thing she knew they were outside the room and back in the hallway. Dipper stumbled and caught the wall before he fell, blood dripped from his nose. Pacifica pulled him up as the creature's head creaked towards them. It screamed again, louder and sharper, raging for the escape of its prey, and the two had to hold onto their ears. When it stopped, Dipper wasted no time. He grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her away. "Run!"

Dipper looked back, the creature was slow with its crepitating joints and shivering frame. They would have time to work out a proper plan and figure out how to destroy it. But he was wrong. The creature scurried like a roach through the corridor. It stopped, hanging vertically on the side only to watch and confirm where they were going before it sped through the hall with increasing speed.

"Hurry!" He told Pacifica but she didn't need anyone tell her that. Adrenaline fueled them both.

With a heavy grunt, Dipper cursed as they were within the creature's reach. He needed to slow it that but he was still recovering his magic from the last stunt. It wasn't easy dashing Pacifica out of the room. He resulted in a more primitive way. With no regard whatsoever, he pulled down tables, chairs, and cabinets to buy them some time, causing the creature to stumble. It works, however with minimal effect.

"What do we do?" She screamed at the boy ahead of her.

"We go outside. You have until then to think of something." He answered with gritted teeth.

She felt tears fly away from her eyes, left to be stomped on by the monster. She had no idea what she to do. The journal wasn't that reliable in their current situation. Her device didn't work. It only made that thing angrier, so she was out of the options. But she didn't have time to be a pessimist. There must be a way. But what? What could she do to stop it? She rattled her brain as fast as she could, emptying everything that was not related to their current situation. She just hoped that there was something she could find before-

Dipper turned a sharp curve and Pacifica followed, nearly losing her footing, the monster close behind. The house was so large that it was taking them a long time to find a way outside - a dreadful con of owning a mansion. But in the haze of the moment, Dipper took a wrong turn and they were stuck in a dead end.

"Do something, Dipper!" She shrieked, clutching him tightly as a shield seeing the thing stop and stare at them, its joints rattling once again.

Dipper ran his mind through his abilities and the limits of his power. But he needed more time. He created a wall between them and the monster, shimmering in a brilliant glow of blue light. The creature was undaunted. It continued to move closer and closer until it reached the wall, and when it did, it began climbing only to slide down like an insect in a glass jar. It seemed that it was smart enough to probe the wall, tapping its four hands on it looking for a weak spot. But when it couldn't find any, it started hammering its fist on the wall, causing it to crack.

The wall was not going to hold long, but maybe Dipper could use it like a snow plow. He tried, taking his first step towards the monster with his arm stretched. The creature slid an inch on the carpet floor and a growing confidence told him that his plan was going to work. He needed to push it out of the way so they could double back and make their way downstairs to the backyard. It seemed simple enough.

"Follow me," he said to Pacifica as he slowly inched forward.

She tried to see if there were any soft spot on its body that she can shoot to disable it, but every part of it seemed like a weak point as it was rotting and disfigured. Perhaps she can crack the joints?

As they slowly made their way back to the corner, the monster stopped sliding and Dipper couldn't push anymore. Now, it was the creature's turn to push as it hammered its hands and its head. More cracks appeared on the wall and both Dipper and Pacifica's heart sank in fear. In this rare opportunity in life, they imagined Mabel coming up from behind the monster and saving them.

But this is the real life.

Mabel was not an omniscient hero.

With a loud hiss from the creature and all its energy focused on its head, Dipper's barrier exploded, its shrapnels evaporating before it even touched the ground as it lost contact from its host, tossing both kids on their backs. The creature roared triumphantly before it prowled towards them. It was getting ready for the kill.

Dipper's hate for that thing grew inside him and his hate was fueled by his lack of knowledge of the creature, because something nagged at the back of his head something that bickered that it was all too familiar, like a nasty deja vu that wouldn't leave him alone.  _What are you_? he asked in his head not expecting an answer.

But he will not die tonight and he will not die defenseless. He roared at the top of his lungs and a burst of light launched from his arms hitting the creature in a steady stream. He couldn't see it through the bright light that blinded them, and he didn't know what was happening, but it was him opening up and taking down his limits. It was his hate and anger and pain. It was everything he ever despised; every irrational and unrelenting fear. If he was going to die tonight, then so be it. At least he put up a fight. At least he was free.

Slowly, the light died down, and Dipper fell to his knees but Pacifica caught him. He looked up at her and a hint of hopeless despair glistened in her eyes - the monster was closer than before.

He had failed.

The head spun so it was the shorter skull that faced them, it's one eye darting back and forth without aim. The crack on its cheekbone had now vanished. It's mouth slowly opened, then closed, it's breathing slow and shallow. The creature hissed, but it sounded like guttural words coming out. " _Mason…_ " The monster screamed again, lifted its hand and aimed it at the two. Now, there was no escape.

Pacifica shrieked, her hands reaching for something out of pure instinct to defend herself. She grabbed a plate from a table and used it as a pathetic attempt to shield them if only to comfort herself that she had tried.

Dipper watched this last moment with her. He gave his all to stop the creature, but it wasn't nearly enough. The only regret he had now was dragging that blonde girl in this mess. "I'm sorry…" He whispered and waited for the monster to land its blow.

A sickening splat erupted in the empty hallway and it was followed by silence. He wondered if that was what it's like to die; no pain, no light. Just a vast sea of emptiness ear shattering silence. But he felt his heart beat once. Then again and again. He slowly lifted the lids of his eyes and to see thick curdling blood covering his hands and shirt.  _Pacifica_ , he thought, pulling up his head to see what had happened to her. His stomach churned at the thought of seeing her remains under the creature's palm reduced into a pulpy mess and how he lured her to her death. But those were just his guilty thoughts.

The monster cried in absolute pain.

When Dipper looked up, he saw that half of its arm was missing, the walls were drenched with blood and Pacifica frozen in fear and unbelief, a pool of molten metal puddled under her feet. The monster kept on crying - like a cow in a slaughterhouse - as it began to retreat back the way they came, holding out its damaged limb.

The girl was petrified, staring out with blank dilated eyes and quivering lips, her arms hanging lifelessly on her side. She stared death in the eyes and, by sheer luck, death walked away.

"Pacifica! Look at me!" Dipper shook her hard so she would snap out stupor.

She blinked fast as if trying to catch all the blinks her eyes had missed. Her pupils constricted and focused on the auburn boy. "Wha- what happened?"

"I should be asking you that." He said with a small chuckle. For the first time, he was happy to see her alive.

"I-I…"

She looked down at her dress then her skin and hair, she was dripping with stale blood, but on her feet was something else that caught the light of the hall and sends it back with brilliant luster. "Silver," She said in a whisper.

"What?" Dipper followed her eyes to understand, using whatever remained of his magic to clean them from the horrible stain.

"Silver." She said again, louder so he could hear. "We can use silver to kill it." Finally, it all made sense why werewolves and vampires were allergic to it. It has an effect on all demonic creatures.

But the boy just breathed and his shoulders dropped. Something was stabbing inside of him and he can't pull it out. It kept digging deeper and deeper. But it didn't hurt. It only carried him somewhere, and he was beginning to see. He thought that perhaps opening himself up and using the full force of his magic to protect himself and the girl did something. But he knew deep down that there was something else - the other key that unlocked the swirling images in his head. That creature was something - someone - familiar. And it spoke his name. It was beginning to drown him.

"Come on, Dipper." She pulled his arm. "We need to get to your sister. That thing is after her."

"No," He said in a low voice.

"Dipper, what's wrong? We need to help her!" Her palms landed on his cheeks, pushing his head up to meet hers but he quickly pulled himself away.

"D-Dipper? What's wrong?" She tried to touch him to give him comfort but he started off. "Dipper, wait!"

She tried to run after him, but he was too fast. She pushed her long legs to the limit but there was no use. Dipper must have been using magic to get away. Her legs were not used to coordinating in high speeds and they twisted against each other making her tumble and fall on her face. Wheezing in pain from the bad rug burn on her shoulder, she pulled herself up. Leaning on the wall, she tried to catch her breath. Before this adventure began she swore that she will try to get to know who the Pines really were. She's learning a lot, especially from that strange, misunderstood boy. But as she rested her shoulder by the edge of the wall, she wondered, why was Dipper crying?

* * *

Sprinting through the hallway and trying to make it back to where all the guests were was the easy part of the job. All she had to do was to follow the bloody prints left behind by the creature that went running away. The guests were her first guess, but specifically, Mabel. Since it was Dipper's magic that brought that thing in the mansion, she concluded that it will follow something similar to the auburn boy. What Pacifica couldn't understand, however, was how the twin's magic is connected to the creature?

Soon, she could hear it, the muffled panic of the people and the creature's ominous scream. She hoped that Mabel and Dipper were there to fend it off. They should be because they were the ones the creature was after. Perhaps if the twins were working together they would have a better chance. But she still needed to help. She still needed to do her job. With that much silver in the dining room and by rewiring the electro disyncronizer they could make a weapon that would stop it for good. Pacifica just needed to hurry before it's too late.

The tracks lead her to where it all began: the Private Room. She would have run past it if something hadn't caught her eye. Her bare feet skids to a stop; panting and slowly walking back to the room. The floor was cracked and the furniture was splintered - the once proud room was now a disgrace. But that's not the shimmer that caught her eye. As a matter of fact, it wasn't a shimmer or reflected light. It was something else. The floor's soft carpet had been torn off by the creature in its flight. There was wood underneath it, and something was visibly carved in its grain. She grabbed an edge of the loose carpet and began peeling it off the floor. It took a while to finally reveal it, and in the end, sweat was dripping from her face. But underneath the soft, yet incredibly heavy cover was a large summoning seal like the ones she had seen from the journal. But this one was different. A perfect circle encompassed a series of runes perfectly etched without flaw surrounding a triangle in the absolute center of the room. Her bones shook from the sight. It radiated with a devious, sinister feel that was digging into her nerves and troubling her soul. She felt the cold sweat run down her neck and a horrible, heavy hotness ate through her chest. That seal gave her a nightmarish thrill that sent her blood running.

What was it? She landed on her knees, fingers carefully caressing the runes. At the back of her head, she feared a splinter stabbing her finger, but the carvings were so smooth that her worries quickly flew away. There was something odd about it as if something whispered for her to back away.

She pulled out her phone with the screen freshly cracked from the attack. She opened the journal which she had digitized for easier access. She looked at each rune that marked the circles and tried to compare it with the one on her phone, trying to see what they mean. But the journal failed her at that. She decided to look at the triangle but again, the journal had no answer. "Damn it!" She screamed, punching the wooden floor so hard that her knuckles bled.

She stared at the floor, allowing the pain to ring in her ears. She was exhausted. There were tons of questions inside that house. Questions that leads to more questions that she had no way of answering. What had she done? Her stupid attempts to run after the paranormal had led her to this very moment. She released that monster into a house full of people and she had no way of stopping it. She  _killed_  them. But how could she know? Mabel and Dipper just called her to ' _do something_ ' about the mess without warning her what it actually was! If she knew that she would be up against a demon then she would have prepared something more than the electro disynchronizer. Or better yet, she wouldn't have come along at all!

A loud  _boom_  thundered somewhere in the house and felt the floor underneath her shake and thought that Mabel and Dipper were now engaged with the creature. She had no hope of doing something about it now. Even with the theory that she could make up something with her device didn't seem to work in her head. But she managed to do win with her previous encounters of the creatures of Gravity Falls, wasn't she? Her greatest victories came when she was least prepared and when she was unwilling to give up. Just like what Gideon said, she was a hero. It's in her nature. And she won't stop until she had done all that she could and more. Just like always, she will just have to improvise.

She stood off from the floor, her chest burning with bright hope that she will get through this mess. She wiped off the tears from her eyes and she was ready to take off and fight. But something flashed underneath her eye. She waited for the thunder but it never came. She looked around but there were no broken light fixtures in the room. Another flash, this time it was longer. She tried to follow where the light was coming from until it led her to the floor. Bursts of light were seeping through the floorboards before it abruptly vanishes only to shine again. She got to her knees once more trying to find a hidden door, but there was nothing. A small echoey click caught her ears and it seemed to come from the bookshelves. She ran towards it and tried to find the passage. With all the books off their shelves, she knew that the switch would be somewhere else. But one of the shelves budged when she tried to push it. She quickly leaned her shoulder at its side and used her weight to make it move and after a short struggle, the shelves gave way to an opening with stairs that spiraled down.

She stepped inside. The stone was freezing under her feet and it had a slimy feel to it though it was dry. She carefully made her way down the narrow stairs, leaning to the side so she wouldn't slip. It was lit with small lamps with a tiny flame burning on the right side of the wall, but have they been burning through all these times, she did not know. With every step she took, her breath turned into a thicker fog as it escaped her lungs; with every step she took, her skin prickled up even more until she was holding her arms from the cold, trying to stop her chattering teeth. When she reached the last step, another room opened up to her which was just as large as the one above them now. The sides were lined with dull candles that smelled bitter as it burned, giving her mouth a bad taste. The air was humid and thick and it reeked of dust and ancient mold. The middle of the room had the same engraving as was in the room above; a perfect mirror of circles surrounding runes around a triangle. But there was something else. The source of the flickering light she saw seeping through the floorboards upstairs.

Dipper sat beside the threshold, his back planted on the wall and a flashlight in his hands. He turned the flashlight on, shining it at nothing before turning it off and repeating the process.

"Dipper?" She called out but he didn't hear her. "Dipper, we need to go." She called again. He  _wouldn't_  hear her.

There were tears carving on the side of his face as he stared blankly, the flashlight in his hands were clicking on and off, shining its light on the empty stone wall. Dipper was an empty shell and Pacifica knew that something got to him.

Her feet were freezing in the touch of damp stone and she longed for the warm caress of the carpet upstairs, but she didn't want to leave the boy alone in the dark. She pushed her golden hair behind her ear and blinked. Pacifica's mind was brewing a plan that would not materialize into images, but rather remained at the back of her mind. It was a secret. Her brain knew that when she finds out what they were up to she would immediately put a stop to it. But every part of her body knows of this plan. It was only her conscious self that would not recognize the plot. As she stared at the broken boy, she felt her first sting of sympathy for him. She could feel his loneliness and his fear. She could feel his anger and his pain. She always imagined him being the tough guy everyone had labeled him with. It's only now that she could see an entirely different character. This one was just miserable.

She slumped beside him and her arm crawled around his like ivy, her head landing on his shoulder. She could smell his perfume, a fresh citrus-woody scent mixed with sweat that seemed to make him smell more like a man. Her body slowly relaxed, and her thoughts slowly disappeared. She just sat there with him in silence, listening to his pounding heart and shallow breathing.

"Mabel and I…" He decided to break the silence as he sniffed, dropping the lit flashlight on the floor and he leaned his head on hers. He didn't care that they were touching. He welcomed it. "Can you feel it?"

The blonde girl remained quiet.

"The heavy feeling that pushes down on you." He gave a hopeless chuckle. "The darkness that wants in."

Now that he had mentioned it, Pacifica sensed that it was there. It was worse than the one she had upstairs with seal. It gave her a feeling that something was watching her just over her shoulder, sneering. It scratched pieces of her like paint trying to find an opening to capture her completely. "Dipper, what's wrong?" she asked faintly.

"I-I remember…" He shut his eyes, trying to repress the surge of his memories.

Concern wrote itself on the girl's face. "Remember what?"

"All of it." Dipper looked away. His limbs began trembling as if he were in pain. "I remember all of it! This house. My parents. Mabel. Me…"

"Calm down, Dipper." She held him by the arm while he forced his head up so his eyes would meet her's. "Now's not the time, Dipper."

"B-but it hurts." His voice was cracking and shaking.

She brushed her thumb on the side of his face, her look was giving him comfort and she didn't want to look away. "Don't stay in the past. Keep your feet in the now. Stay with me here." Her voice was shivering, but not from the cold. She was too close to him and it was making her frame brittle.

The boy looked away. "I'm a monster."

"Yes." She smiled, biting her lips, then without thinking, she planted them on his for the briefest of moments.

When she pulled away, she realized that the boy was staring blankly at her. His eyes were wide and stricken with confusion. But she was just as confused as he was. She panicked and she quickly pulled herself back to her feet, but her eyes never left him.

"People are getting hurt, Dipper," she said, as she slowly inched away from him while her face filled with blood from the embarrassment she just did. "I need to help Mabel. You need to come with me."

"I can't…" His voice was so soft, so unlike the mask he used to wear. He was scared.

"Do you think  _I_  can? I'm going to die if I go back out there. But I cannot think about myself, because if I do that, others will get hurt. Good people  _will_  get hurt, Dipper."

The boy looked away.

"I don't know what you did, but you don't have to be the monster now. You have a chance and a choice. You and Mabel are stronger together, and if the three of us work to-"

The earth began rocking, almost throwing the girl off her feet. The thundering crash was close. Mabel must have been pushing it back to the Private Room. There was no more time to waste. With or without Dipper, Pacifica needed to help.

She looked back at the frightened boy then to the stairs. She quickly made her decision, albeit reluctantly, and dashed up the stairs, leaving the boy behind.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline that was in her veins, or maybe her bold heroism that was driving her in these sorts of danger, but whatever it was, it was dying down and fatigue was catching up with her. Pacifica stopped halfway out of the staircase because her knees wouldn't let her climb another step. Her muscles were beginning to riot in overuse and her bruises and scratches were demanding attention. A part of her wanted to just stay with Dipper and hope that the night will blow over and tomorrow will be perfectly fine. A part of her was scared stiff of dying. Why wouldn't she be? If Mabel and Dipper are having a problem overcoming the creature with their powers, what chance could she possibly have? She was a skinny blonde girl and if the beast wanted it, it would smash her through the wall and turn her into nothing but a messy stain. What hope does she have? She had already failed before it even began.

She breathed out, her hand landing on the slimy wall for support. Doubt was starting to set in, and without her will to fight, it was slowly consuming her. But in times like these she would often hear a familiar cheer, his chubby face bouncing with every jump he made. Even in the still silence of the stone, she could hear his voice.

_Don't stop, Paz! You can do it!_

She found herself snickering at her best friend's endless encouragement and enthusiasm. He was a damn good miracle in her life. A dumb, love-stricken miracle.

But it wasn't working. Her body still refused to move forward.

"Please, Paz… move." She told herself. But no matter how she pushed herself, she simply wouldn't. An itch was worming all over her body making her shake. She had reached her limit and it was eating her up. Her brain sent flares to her muscles, but the her joints had locked themselves in place. Pacifica gritted her teeth as an agonizing tear run down her cheek and neck. "Please!" She screamed. But her body simply wouldn't listen anymore.

It felt like she was drowning in a thick bog. Her despair was winning, and she was slowly accepting the fact that she had lost against herself.

But a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her to move. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Fight," Dipper said and helped her to march her last few steps.

Pacifica nodded, finding new strength from him, the person whom she least imagined to help her in her desperate moments.

Together, they raced up the stairs. They didn't stop until they had reached the Private Room. Dipper quickly ran towards the door, hands burning while Pacifica rummaged the room for the tiniest scrap of silver.

She found a silver plate that held the now broken glass of whiskey, similar to what she used to shield herself against the creature's blow. She also found a silver miniature train that once decorated the fireplace, but other than that, she had nothing else.

_This will have to do,_  she thought and she reconfigured her device to suit her needs. She needed to rewire it as a weapon, her only means of damaging and weakening the creature.

"Here." Dipper dropped a dozen of silver pieces before her in a loud clamor. Their house was a treasure trove with so much of the precious metal lying around. "What else do you need?" He asked, breathing heavily.

She looked up at him, wanting to make sure that he was okay. She was surprised that he actually remembered her theory about the silver. A part of her idea was to turn the silverware to projectiles. That means reducing their size and increasing the density. "What can you do to make them easier to launch?"

The boy cocked his brow. "Like bullets?" He asked, a smile pulling lopsidedly.

"Exactly."

There was another roaring boom and the whole house shook. They needed to hurry.

The boy grabbed the plate that Pacifica found inside the Private Room. He held it in his hands and with the use of his magic, crushed it into the size of a pingpong ball.

"That's perfect," said Pacifica, leaving it to Dipper to make her ammunition while she put her device back together.

When they were finished, Pacifica tested it, flicking the switch and a ball of electricity haloed around the tip. She placed the tiniest silver ball in the sphere and with a press of another button, exploded, launching at enormous speeds and lodging deep into the wooden wall.

Pacifica looked at Dipper and Dipper at Pacifica, both had a satisfied smile on their faces. It seemed that their situation was starting to turn to their favor.

"Be ready," Dipper barked. "I'll go get Mable."

Pacifica nodded, gathering her balls of silver and readying them, placing each pieces on a still-standing side table beside her for convenience.

Dipper rushed out of the private room, leaving Pacifica on her own. Her strength was back and her limbs were no longer protesting. Her mind was laser focus, but on the brief gaps of attention, images of her entire day flickered to her memory, making her smile on how strange things could easily change. She realized that her life in Gravity Falls will forever be like that.

The monster's scream rang and the hair on Pacifica's arms and back stood. The floor rocked and she feared that it was going to cave, but luckily it didn't. The beast now stood in the broken doorway of the room and it slowly inched its way forward. The head shifted from the masculine to the feminine, its limp hair dangling lifelessly over its putrid grimace.

She placed a ball on her halo of electricity, but she waited for it to get closer. She wanted to make her shot count. But it didn't seem like it was going to attack. There was no hint of it. Its eyes remain focused on hers and they both gazed at each other. Pacifica could feel the creature's fear and sadness dripping over her soul.

"What are you?" Pacifica mumbled.

The creature raised its hand and slowly reached out towards the blonde girl, extending its index finger.

Pacifica took a step back, but she couldn't launch the ball. It wanted to touch her. But why?

Despite the argument of the rest of her brain her curiosity made her want to reach out her hand to meet the finger. She did. Trembling with fear, she slowly inched the whole length of her arm, pressing her palm against its fingertip.

In a sudden flash, images surged into her mind as she relieved the creature's life, each event passing by in the speed of light. She couldn't see it all. She couldn't understand what was happening but the monster was trying to tell her something. She focused on each event as it ran by, examining each detail - sight, sound, smell and feeling - trying to piece it all together. But it was still too fast. It was impossible for her to learn what it wanted her to learn.

Then, it struck her, however it was all a rusty, twisting ambiguous knot of an idea.

The monster breathed, then it screamed, snapping its neck backward towards the door.

Pacifica dropped to the floor, seeing Mabel with her outstretched hand.

"Do it!" The auburn witch commanded and Pacifica shot the creature in the face, the silver ball burying deep before melting. She felt her heart snap in two, but she tried to remain in focus.

The creature screamed as its four arms each trying to pull the pain out of its face.

Mabel and Dipper enclosed the creature with their magic, trying to put it the side where they could corner it. All the while, Pacifica launched her bullets at the monster's arms and legs trying to weaken it so it couldn't run away.

It was helpless and it was in tremendous pain. Pacifica swore that it was crying.

She could be wrong.

It's arms latched out and grabbed Mabel in its hand, using her as a meager shield from the blonde girl's assault.

"Don't stop, Northwest!" She exclaimed.

The girl listened and launched the rest of her projectiles at the monster's arm, forcing it to drop Mabel with a heavy thud.

Dipper, held it in place, while Mabel launched the furniture at it, and smashing the chandelier over its body. But they noticed that its wounds were starting to close, and their effort will all be wasted if they won't do anything.

"Pacifica. Plan!" Mabel barked.

She was out of bullets and she was running her mind for an option. Her eyes dashed around the room for anything else she could use. She was beginning to feel dizzy as she spun around the room like an idiot.

"Pacifica!" Mabel screamed, pushing all her powers to making sure that the creature couldn't move. But it was draining her and neither of the twins could hold on any longer.

Then it hit her had. Her eyes flashed to the bonnet of the fireplace. The portrait of the twins' parents hung perfectly and untouched. It came out from there, they could use it to send it back.

"Dipper! The painting!" She screamed.

The twins looked at the same time. Without speaking, the boy nodded to his sister and they both used a hand to yank it down, while the other kept the creature in place.

But the monster felt the weakness in their defence and exploited it. In a powerful rage, it bursted out of its bondage and swatted Dipper with the back of his hand. He missed the window by a meter as he crashed on the wall and dropped flatly on the floor. Pacifica rushed to see if he was okay.

Mabel, seeing that it was useless to contain it once more, she placed all her energy into lifting the portrait.

"What do I do with it?"

"Smack it with it!" In the spur of the moment, it was the best explanation she could make.

"What!?" It was an absurd idea.

"Just trust me!"

But they underestimated the beast. It saw their plan and it will not be used against it. The creature grabbed hold of the portrait and flung it out of the window frisbee in a loud swoosh.

"NO!" Pacifica screamed.

But the creature grabbed hold of the auburn girl once more.

"Mabel…" The creature hissed with a throaty gurgle but it was buried under the girl's pained screams.

It flew by so fast that Pacifica barely saw it. The painting landed on the bottom side of the creature, and it began to eat it up, Dipper was already on his feet.

Screams filled the premises, as the creature began using its limbs as anchors to their world. But it was a futile attempt. The beast was slowly eaten up as the pain was detailed on its faces. But it wouldn't let go of Mabel. Dipper tried to pry the fingers open, but he was too weak and the fingers were locked in place.

"Do something, Dipper!" She begged for the first time, as tears began streaming down her face.

Panic made her move faster, but more reckless. Pacifica looked for anything she could use to free the girl. Then a memory flashed in her head. She turned to the other side of the room, where a small hole ruined the surface of the wooden wall. She ran towards it, stabbing her finger inside to try to pick out the silver ball but she couldn't reach it. She could ask for Dipper's help, but he was busy trying to save his sister. She decided that a wild idea must work. She pointed her device at hole and activated it. It sings a monotone as it charged up to life. She slowly dialed up the intensity of the electric field and the halo began growing. She could feel the ball inside moving so it must be working. She turned it to maximum power and the ball came loose and was caught on the large sphere.

It wasn't meant to be used at such high intensity. It could be dangerous. It could be not. But Pacifica had no time to think about it. The creature was being wolfed down more and more and Mabel would be dragged along with it. The blonde girl ran to Dippers side and aimed her weapon at the arm joint of the creature. She focused. She could not afford to miss.

She slowly breathed out and she flicked the button. The last silver ball sped faster than the ones before passing through the creature's flesh and bones with an explosion.

It shrieked as its arm fell off, freeing Mabel.

Now, Dipper had no more reason to delay the monster's departure. With all the energy he could spare, he pushed the creature down to where it came.

" _Nooooo…!_ " The monster bellowed, a harsh noise of masculine and feminine voice. " _Please… Don't...!"_

Dipper roared and with a final blast of his magic, pushed the monster back to the painting and silence replaced its presence.

Mabel tried to stand, but she needed to support her ribs. She was breathing, but not normally. "T-thanks…" She uttered in the thin air, not wanting to throw it to anyone specific.

"What was that?" Pacifica asked hoarsely.

The twins just looked at her.

" _Who_  was that?" She turned to them, fists clenched.

"What did it show you?" Mabel responded, her tone was just as dark as the blonde girl's.

"I don't know. But I saw you two in in memories.  _You_  had something to do with it!"

Mabel only laughed despite the pain. "You have no idea, Northwest."

Her palm met Mabel's face in such as speed that she never saw it coming. "Who was that!?"

"You're just like everyone else." The other girl wiped the blood from her lips. "Deny it or not, you think that we're just like your average afternoon telenovela; misfits would could find our place in the world. But sorry to disappoint you, hon. We're not."

"Who was that!" She pressed, her face burning with fury.

Dipper caught her in the arm, his grip was like an eagle's. "Don't." He shook his head.

"You remember now, Dipper? Thank the zodiac! Finally!" Mabel continued laughing.

"You two are sick! You two  _are_  evil!"

"Evil is relative, dear. A spider is evil to a fly, and fies are evil when they land on your pie."

"I swear! I-"

"You'll what, Northwest?" Mabel spat, moving closer to the girl. "You'll get to the bottom of this? Then what? Expose us? Stop us? You barely understand a thing!"

The side of her eye twitched. She cannot go on like this anymore. She's too exhausted to pick a fight with Mabel. It wasn't the wisest idea. She needed to think right now. She needed to piece all of her ideas together before she can make a hypothesis that she could work with. Right now, she needed to rest.

She spun on her heel, breaking her leer at the auburn girl. Without saying a word she marched out of the room, through the hallway and eventually out of the house.

* * *

The air outside was refreshingly cold. Her muscled began to relax under the kiss of the night air. The guests were all gathered on the driveway, everyone was being treated for their scratches, asthma attacks and high blood pressure, but other than that, everyone seemed fine, even the hundred-year-old mayor of Gravity Falls.

When the paramedics saw her, they instantly ushered her to the nearest ambulance despite her constant plea that she was fine. They made a quick work of checking her up and patching up the wounds on her face, arms, legs and the soles of her feet. It took a while, but they finally left her alone. She saw this as an opportunity to escape and go back home. Hopefully all these commotion hadn't reach her mother yet, but with Toby Determined always being around in the slightest hint of a potential story for his dreadful blog, it was impossible that the whole town hadn't heard of the incident in the Pines Manor.

Apparently, everyone says that a gas leak were responsible to multiple explosions inside that house. Pacifica thought that it was Mabel's idea to make everyone say what she wanted them to say to cover the fact that they were attacked by a demon. It was pretty wise of her. After all, what would the Pines be without the support and adoration of the town?

Pacifica took it upon herself to release herself from the paramedic's medical care. She took the thermal blanket with her as a consolation for the night's event. She just wanted to go home and sleep the rest of it off.

"Paz!" A familiar voice came from behind her. "Paz, wait up!"

She turned to see Gideon racing towards her.

He jumped at the right moment and embraced his best friend with pure delight. "Thank goodness you're fine Paz!"

"Well, I'm barely okay. But I'll live."

Gideon looked up to her, his eyes were wet. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind. I was supposed to help you. I'm so sorry, Paz."

She couldn't help to have the deep emotion of betrayal to swallow her up. Gideon forgot about her the moment he saw Mabel. But could she really blame him? She would rather just let it go and think about it tomorrow. "Nevermind that, bouffant. You can make it up to me by walking me home. I'm pooped." She forced a smile.

The blonde boy nodded, accepting the deal. He thought that it was just that easy, but he couldn't see that his friend was breaking inside. Still, he tried to keep to himself. He felt like the silence was good enough for the two of them.

They crossed the wide driveway and they made their way to the front gate. People were already amassed outside, kept at bay by the town's police force. Pacifica was happy to see other faces after her long adventure. But the images given by the creature still swirled in a hurricane inside her head. Images were still flashing so quickly that she doesn't even have the time to analyze them. But they were stacking themselves neatly into groups and she could begin to see the stories it wanted to tell. But it wasn't enough. Whatever it was, it involved the twins.

She was left with nothing but questions that she cannot so easily answer. Stanford and his mysterious twin brother, the monster's connection to the twins, the secrets of the Private Room, the memories given to her. It all seemed like a massive chaos but whatever those questions may be, it all pointed to the twins. She knew that all she needed was a definite answer and it would be the key to unlocking all those doors.

The Pines. Now the journal suddenly makes sense. The Pines were not to be trusted. Not even Ford. She began this day wanting to know that they were just spoiled brats with magical powers, that somehow, they were still normal children who celebrates birthday parties and have silly arguments on who could change the channel on the TV. She thought that she could be friends with them. She thought, even in secret from her own self, that there could be more of her and Dipper. She was wrong. All these times she was protecting the town from the supernatural that she deemed a danger, not knowing that the real threats lived in a house on the top of a hill near the outskirt of the town. The real monsters lived under her nose.

But in the bluntest words possible, it still hurt to know these truths.

She breathed it out as she accepted the facts that she would need to be extra careful around them, especially Dipper. She hated that fact, but it was a fact nonetheless. She would cut all ties from them, and warn the people about them. This was something she had to do.

And so she granted herself one fine look at the mansion, if only to see what she was letting go of. Perhaps it was the most unfortunate thing to do because she had to see it all.

They saw the flash of the bright blue light before they felt the shockwave kicking them forward and landing them on their faces, pushing the air out of their lungs. Pacifica's ear rang from the explosion but she tried to stand to her feet. A second ago, the mansion stood as one of the proud beacons of the Falls, now it was nothing but a burning pile or rubble.

Civilians scattered and the police officers radioed for backup, all the guests and the paramedics running from the scene, luckily unscathed. But Pacifica's mouth dropped, as she tried to see that there were no Mabel nor Dipper among the terrified crowd. They must have been inside. She raced back towards the mansion despite the authorities stopping her. She slipped from their grasped and pushed her legs to the limits once more only to confirm that the mansion was no longer there and instead a towering plume of smoke rose to the sky.

A loud crack followed.

Tears formed directly above them like lost bows of auroras in the night, dancing and shimmering with its iridescent glow, splitting farther and farther apart, erasing the stars behind it. A gaping hole presented itself, sucking up the dark shadows of the night sky only for a single massive bulge to press against the gap.

It opened, revealing the white ball of an eye, the iris nothing but a narrow dark slit. It gazed at the burning wreckage unblinkingly before it said it's first words. "At last..." It's slow, deep voice shook the very ground they stood on, scaring the birds and the animals from their hiding and solidifying everyone else on their place.

Her legs lost strength and Pacifica dropped on the gravel as she looked up. She wondered what the twins did. She had no idea what she was seeing at that moment because her mind had now abandoned her.

Fear, despair, hopelessness and darkness.

This was what it's like to stand before Armageddon.

" _At long last… This world is finally mine…_ "


End file.
